


Getting Over It

by VioletRust



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Also they drink, But Arthur and Gwen were dating in the past, Gay, M/M, They're All Gay, modern! AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletRust/pseuds/VioletRust
Summary: After a painful breakup, Arthur can't get over Gwen no matter how hard he tries. Eventually he decides to take a night to get her out of his mind, and that's when he meets a guy named Merlin who could be the solution to everything.





	Getting Over It

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Outta My System](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/408525) by Simple Plan. 



> This was originally going to be a songfic for Outta My System by Simple Plan, but I didn't really like how the lyrics looked spread out across the page. So, I guess, credits to Simple Plan for the idea, concept and vague story? I don't know.

_“Arthur, I love you, but I don’t think this relationship is going to work out.”_

_“We’re breaking up?”_

_“We’re breaking up. I’m sorry.”_

_“No, no it’s fine. I understand. It’ll be fine.”_

                Arthur replayed that moment in his head for approximately the thirty-seventh time that day. It turned out that almost two months later he was still not over Gwen. He hadn’t let himself even say hi to her throughout that whole time, scared that if he did he would fall helplessly back in love with her. It hurt.

                “Arthur? You ready to go?” Morgana called from the other room.

                “Yeah,” he called back, taking a deep breath and opening the door. A pair of beautiful dark eyes met him. He nodded at Gwen nervously and she nodded back. He glanced down and noticed she was holding hands with Morgana. Well, tonight was going to be awkward.

                Morgana had noticed that Arthur had withdrawn himself from everything and decided that they should all go out to a bar and become best buds again. Arthur really had no interest in it, and he was planning to go off on his own to get drunk and party and get over Gwen. He’d been planning it for a long time, but never had the courage to step out of the house alone. He stared at the ground and smirked. He prided himself on bravery, yet this had reduced him to a pathetic loverboy.

                As the three of them took the train to the nearest city, Gwen and Morgana talked about something unimportant and giggled a lot. Despite all their attempts to involve Arthur in their conversation, he couldn’t stop the feeling of being a third wheel. And, more devastatingly, he couldn’t stop the feeling of pining after Gwen.

                Eventually he gave up on small talk and put his earbuds in. He’d created a playlist especially for today, and he hit shuffle to lose himself in the music. Somehow he couldn’t, as if Gwen’s presence demanded at least half of his attention at all times.

                He glanced over at her. She seemed so happy with Morgana, so happy now she was separate from him. His stomach flipped when she shot him a smile. She was still as beautiful as ever.

                _No,_ he told himself, putting his face in his hands, _no no no no no._ He could not fall for her again. He _would not_ fall for her again. He picked up his phone and started flipping through it for a distraction, any distraction. Within five minutes he was punching the screen in the frustration of Flappy Bird.

                Eventually the train arrived and they strode into the city, Arthur a few awkward feet behind the girlfriends. The bar Morgana had picked out was classy, with an outdoor patio and golden fairylights and no drunk old men trying to hit on you because they thought you looked like Taylor Swift. Standing outside it, though, Arthur really didn’t want to go in there with a semi-drunk Gwen and Morgana and inevitably end up being shoved to the side as they made out in a toilet stall.

                “Um, guys?” he said, his voice trembling a little, “I don’t want to do this. You go in and have a nice date, just the two of you. I’ll go somewhere else.”

                They looked at each other, kind of shocked. Neither of them had anticipated that Arthur might bail on them, but they didn’t seem too disappointed by the idea. He sighed and started to walk away.

                “Wait, no!”

                “Arthur, come back!”

                He kept walking, not looking back. They didn’t come after him.

                He was suddenly hit with an overwhelming urge to cry. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t show up at a nightclub with a face stained with tears. He was out to have a good time.

                He stopped outside the nightclub. It looked pretty grotty from the outside, music and noise pulsing from the inside, a faded sign pasted above the doors proudly proclaiming that it was named ‘The Groove’. What kind of a name is that supposed to be? But it was the most popular club in the city, and, according to the reviews that he’d Googled at 3AM, all the other ones were shitty.

                He joined the small queue of people waiting to be let in by the bouncer. The brunette boy stood in front of him offered him an awkward smile, which he awkwardly returned. Arthur got the sense that he didn’t come to nightclubs very often. Ok, so he wasn’t totally alone here.

                Some underage girl had started throwing a tantrum in front of them because the bouncer could clearly see that she wasn’t the photo of Hayley Williams pasted on her fake ID. Arthur made eye contact with the brunette boy and he rolled his eyes. Arthur rolled his eyes right back and they grinned at each other. The boy had cute dimples. They stood in silence watching both the bouncer and not-Hayley-Williams threaten to call the police on each other until not-Hayley loudly screamed “FUCK THIS!” and strutted off across the street to McDonalds.

                “Um, so what’s your name?” the boy asked.

                Arthur jumped. He hadn’t really expected anyone to talk to him here. He’d kind of just envisioned himself sitting in a corner drinking colourful cocktails and watching everything unfold from afar.

                “Um, Arthur. You?”

                “I’m Merlin.”

                “Nice to meet you.”

                They stood nodding at each other, neither really sure what to do. Arthur supposed he should’ve put his hand out to shake? No, that would’ve been stupid. This wasn’t a business meeting. What is it people normally do at parties? He had no idea, seeing as he hadn’t been invited to one since around Year Eight when he gave up on football in favour of lacrosse.

                After checking their _legitimate_ IDs, the bouncer let them in. The dance floor was already crowded, everyone dancing and screaming their hearts out to Ariana Grande. Arthur followed Merlin to the bar, feeling almost as out of place as being Gwen and Morgana’s third wheel. The energy in this place was incredible, lights flashing, everyone dancing like there was no tomorrow. The problem was that Arthur had no idea how to join it.

                The two boys took a seat on the precarious plastic stools at the bar.

                “What can I get you?” the bartender asked him. From her flushed cheeks and slurred voice, Arthur guessed that she was slightly drunk herself.

                “Can I have a-”

                “Let me order for you,” Merlin cutted across. Then he immediately looked away and blushed, “I- I mean . . . you don’t have to but-”

                “Oh, ok, thanks Merlin,” Arthur say, blushing himself now.

                “Um, no problem.”

                The bartender brings the order and Arthur sipped it, not really tasting it, just gazing at Merlin. Was he just trying to be polite or was that a gesture of interest? After reaching the bottom of the glass of his third drink, Arthur mustered up the confidence to say something.

                “So, do you like guys?” he wanted to retract the statement as soon as he said it.

                Merlin looked him in the eyes, then broke eye contact almost immediately, smiling another awkward smile. He really did have cute dimples, “Yeah . . .”

                “Sweet.”

                Arthur reached over and kissed him. It seemed to take Merlin by surprise (although he seemed happy), but it took Arthur by surprise even more. He’d started to question his sexuality before but each time he’d freaked out and forced himself to stop, shoving it to the back of his mind. If only it would have been that easy with Gwen.

                Speaking of Gwen, as Arthur brushed his lips across Merlin’s, he felt her ebb away. He could already feel himself falling for this guy in front of him, who he barely knew, who he’d met just earlier.

                He opened his mouth a little and licked Merlin’s bottom lip, asking for permission to enter, and Merlin gleefully took the hint, opening his mouth. His tongue tasted good and was surprisingly strong. They made out, right there and then, giddy from the alcohol, not giving a shit about the homophobes inevitably glaring at them, not giving a shit about how it looked at all. They couldn’t get enough of each other.

                _Goodbye, Gwen_ Arthur thought as stumbled out of the nightclub, a number scribbled on a napkin pressed into one hand and someone else’s hand in his other. Merlin smiled at him and Arthur poked his dimple, then they both dissolved into laughter.

                They stopped to kiss in the street, and never had it felt so good in all his life.


End file.
